A RESIDENT owned his home for 40 years before his insurance randomly informed him of property issues after adopting new technology.
The Malden, Massachusetts The owner said his longtime insurer never notified him of any problems before insurers began using drones for aerial flights. Photos for policies.
two
“I felt like I was blindsided,” John D’Entremont shared with local Fox News affiliate WFXT.
“If you look at the things they asked me to do, it was a significant amount of money.”
He has maintained home insurance through the same insurer the entire time he has owned his home, but has not faced any issues until August 2023.
D’Entremont received a letter from his insurance company outlining the expensive repairs the home insurance company claimed he needed to make.
The notice emphasized that the insurance company needed a plan from him within 60 days.
“Remove the moss from the roof, trim the tree that had branches hanging over the house,” the owner listed.
“And get some, in their case they said get some tiles.”
In his rush to comply, D’Entremont began gathering estimates for the required repairs.
The resident did the tree work his insurance company recommended and even contacted his insurance agent to keep her updated on his progress in taking care of the issues he noted.
Nothing he did was enough.
In early November, he said the company took action.
“I received notification that they decided to cancel my home policy,” D’Entremont admitted.
Insurance companies in Massachusetts have the right not to renew property policies.
As long as they provide the owner with written notice 45 days before the policy expires, along with specific reasons for the decision.
Although all appropriate measures were taken, D’Entremont expressed being confused as to why he had never been notified of any defects in his home until now.
His daughter shared an unconfirmed idea that aerial footage may have been used to capture his observed problems.
This is not unusual as home insurers have embraced the use of technology, according to Emily Rogan of the consumer advocacy organization United Policyholders.
“There have been a lot of major changes during COVID where there have been more satellite inspections, in different ways,” Rogan explained.
“And you know, a lot of industries have really leaned on the technology. And what we’re seeing now is that it’s becoming more common, whether it’s a drone image or a satellite image,
“They have more access to data about you as an insured and about your property. And they are using this to choose their customers.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
